The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1887-10-13

that nobody shouted except an old deaf
woman In Pekin; and thus, instead of
an unprecedented din, there was an
unusual and embarrassing silence.
The women Of Massachusetts have
betrayed an lnSensibility and indiffer-
enc8 to their REIMBURSEMENT which is
shocking TO the phIfanthropist and dis
eo1raging to the patriot. There are 347
cities and towns in the state. miro of
these, from 1879 to 1886 not one woman
has ever registered, or voted. In 200,
or more than One-half. no woman has
ever voted, though in thirty of these a
few have occasionally registered. By
the state census OF 1885 there were 49,
GIG male voters and 1856 $40 female
voters, and of these, in 1885, there
were 4,2l9 who registered and 1911
who voted, or less than so Der cent, of
| those who registered, and in 254 of
those who were eligible. The popula-
ton in the interval from 1889 to 1885 in
creased nearly 200 900, while the female
vote increased 234. In New Hampshire
women have been eligible to Office and
authorized to vote in school district af-
fairs since 1879. The same apathy has
prevailed In the Granite State In Con-
cord, where there are 5000 female
voters, since the novelty of the first
meeting not twenty-five have attended.
The experiment has had the same re
suit in Vermont and elsewhere. The
collapse has been complete. Like the
seed which fell in stony places, where
they had not much earth, these ideas
haue sprung up, but when the sun came
up they were Scorched, and because
they had not root they withered away.
1t Is another case of leading the horse
to water. 1t shows the futility of at
tempting to manufacture reforms
hoping that they will be called for. In
: explanation of these embarrassing sta
tiSticS the champions of the Sixteenth
Amendment affirm that school and mu
nicipal affairs are too paltry and triv
ial to attract the attention of women
" but if they are allowed to vote for tht
President, and for members of the Leg
, islature and of Congress, their respOns,
will be immediate and universal. Ther'
is slight discrepancy between this de
j., probation of school and municipal suf
frage, and the exulting acclaim witt
D which their enactment was hailed
Half loaf is popularity supposed to b.
. better than no bread, but partial sui
2 frage is worse than none. If tn
:, women of Massachusetts had been &C
tive and Jealous in the exercise o
3 school suffrage when the OppOrtunit.
7 was afforded them, it would have beel
g a powerful, an unanswerable, argu
q ment in favor of their advancement t.
0 absolute equality with men in the oh
. legations and responsibilities of Amer
Z lean citizenship. ''Thou hast beel
; faithful over few things, will max
I thee ruler over many things: enter tho
Q into the JOY of thy lordl''
9 Social and political institutions are
Z growth and development to meet tn
Q requirements of some antecedent AM
+ existing aspirations of the human
: soul. Whenever woman wants tn
q ballot and SociefV nnndS her onfran
i chisement, then the sixteenth Amend
q ment will be adopted. Till then the
+ labor in vain that build it. There
q no legislation that can annul the ord
nances of Nature, or abrogate tn
= statutes of the Almighty.